Gang violence: Junior Mafia members jailed for poaching-related murder
Two Junior Mafia gang members have been jailed for the assassination of Hermanus abalone poacher Cameron Padayachee, who was gunned down in front of his children after refusing to pay extortion money.
Image: File
Two Junior Mafia gang members have been handed lengthy prison sentences for the assassination of Hermanus abalone poacher Cameron Marc Padayachee, a killing ordered after he refused to pay extortion money to the gang.
The Hermanus Regional Court found Paul Adams and Ismail Khan guilty of premeditated murder and aiding and abetting gang activity, stemming from the December 21, 2021 hit in Blompark.
Padayachee was gunned down in Kapokblom Street while fixing a vehicle, with his young children inside the car. They witnessed the murder and were “severely traumatised”.
According to a plea and sentencing agreement, Adams, 33, confessed to being a Junior Mafia member and admitted he instructed Khan and Renaldo van der Bergh to kill Padayachee “for his refusal to pay extortion money”. Adams also confessed to involvement in illegal abalone possession.
That afternoon, Khan and Van der Bergh fetched a gang firearm from Adams before approaching Padayachee. Van der Bergh fired eight shots at him. Khan admitted he shouted repeatedly: “Dala what you must, maak die nommer vol.”
The court sentenced Adams to an effective 16 years’ direct imprisonment after his sentences for gang membership, murder, and abalone offences were partly combined. He was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Khan, 25, was sentenced to 20 years, with five years suspended on condition he is not convicted of murder or gang activity. He too was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Regional court prosecutor Ilse Keyser told the court the murder was meant to “teach him and other abalone poachers not to disobey orders” and to force poachers to pay a percentage of their illegal proceeds to the gang. She stressed the accused showed no regard for the safety of Padayachee’s children, who could easily have been struck by a stray bullet.
Van der Bergh is already serving 30 years for the same killing.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, praised the team behind the convictions, noting the link between poaching and organised criminal networks.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said environmental crimes are often tied to organised crime, adding: “Criminal networks exploit weak regulations and enforcement to profit from illegal activities, using tactics such as corruption, violence, and fraud.”
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